• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.614-621
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• 2020

Antibiotic pollution is one of the factors contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. Advanced oxidation and irradiation processes have been introduced to eliminate antibiotics from water and wastewater. However, few studies have reported the toxic effects of residual antibiotics and their byproducts induced by a treatment system. In this study, we compared the efficacies of chemical (high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)) and biological (antimicrobial susceptibility test) assays for measuring the concentrations of residual antibiotics after gamma irradiation for degrading amoxicillin, cephradine, lincomycin, and tetracycline. The concentrations of residual antibiotics estimated using the two assay methods were almost identical, except cephradine. In the case of cephradine, inhibited bacterial growth was observed that was equivalent to twice the concentration measured by HPLC in the samples subjected to gamma irradiation. The observed inhibition of bacterial growth suggested the generation of potentially toxic intermediates following antibiotic degradation. These results indicate that biological and chemical assays should be used in concert for monitoring antibiotic contamination and the toxic derivatives of antibiotic degradation. The results demonstrate that these four antibiotics can be decomposed by 2.0 kGy gamma-irradiation without toxic effects of their byproducts.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.31-37
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• 1994

For a microbiological study of composting process, screening and assay method for biopolymer degrading enzymes and microorganisms were developed and for the study of the possibility of composting in anaerobic state, distribution of sulfate reducing bacteria which plays a final role in anaerobic degradation was investigated. Substrates used for the development of assay methods for biopolymer degradation are ${\beta}-glucan$, xylan, dextran, CMC(carboxy methly cellulose), casein, and collagen. These substrates were made insoluble by a cross-linking agent and linked with dye to make chromogenic substrates. ${\beta}-glucan$ and xylan substrates could substitute congo-red method for screening of polymer degrading microorganisms without damaging the colonies. Sulfate reducing bacteria contained in the sample sludge showed preference to lactic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and formic acid and could use acetic acid and valeric acid.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.145-162
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• 2019

This study aimed to increase the sugar and ethanol yield from the mengkuang plant biomass through biological and liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment and their combination. The results showed that biological pretreatments with 5% inoculum of the fungus Trametes versicolor resulted in the highest alpha cellulose content incubated for 30 days, and 10% inoculum resulted in the lowest lignin content. LHW pretreatment decreased the hemicellulose content of pulps from 10.17% to 9.99%. T. versicolor altered the structure of the mengkuang pulp by degrading the lignin and lignocellulose matrix. The resulting delignification and cellulose degradation facilitate the hydrolysis of cellulose into sugars. The alpha cellulose content after biological-LHW pretreatment was higher (78.99%) compared to LHW-biological pretreatment (76.85%). Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that biological-LHW combinated treatment degrades the cell wall structures. The ethanol yield for biological-LHW pretreated sample was observed 43.86% (13.11 g/L ethanol by weight of the substrate, which is much higher than that of LHW-biological pretreatment (34.02%; 9.097 g/L). The highest reducing sugar content about 45.10% was observed with a resulting ethanol content of 15.5 g/L at LHW pretreatment temperature of $180^{\circ}C$ for 30 min.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.8-15
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• 2016

Bioremediation, which uses microbes to degrade most organic pollutants in soil and groundwater, can be used in solving environmental issues in various polluted sites. In this research, a wind-driven bioventing system is built to degrade about 20,000 mg/kg of high concentration diesel pollutants in soil-pollution mode. The wind-driven bioventing test was proceeded by the bioaugmentation method, and the indigenous microbes used were Bacillus cereus, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Pseudomonas putida. The phenomenon of two-stage diesel degradation of different rates was noted in the test. In order to interpret the results of the mode test, three microbes were used to degrade diesel pollutants of same high concentration in separated aerated batch-mixing vessels. The data derived thereof was input into the Haldane equation and calculated by non-linear regression analysis and trial-and-error methods to establish the kinetic parameters of these three microbes in bioventing diesel degradation. The results show that in the derivation of μ_m (maximum specific growth rate) in biodegradation kinetics parameters, K_s (half-saturation constant) for diesel substance affinity, and K_i (inhibition coefficient) for the adaptability of high concentration diesel degradation. The K_s is the lowest in the trend of the first stage degradation of Bacillus cereus in a high diesel concentration, whereas K_i is the highest, denoting that Bacillus cereus has the best adaptability in a high diesel concentration and is the most efficient in diesel substance affinity. All three microbes have a degradation rate of over 50% with regards to Pristane and Phytane, which are branched alkanes and the most important biological markers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.901-905
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• 2004

The degradation and mineralization of crude oil were investigated over 50-days in three soils, loamy sand, sand, and combusted loamy, which were artificially contaminated with crude oil (50 g $kg^{-1}$) and inoculated with Nocardia sp. H17-1. The degradation efficiency of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in sand was the highest at 76% among the three soils. The TPH degradation rate constants $(k_{TPH})$ in loamy sand, sand, and combusted loamy sand were 0.027 $d^{-1}$, 0.063 $d^{-1}$, and 0.016 $d^{-1}$, respectively. In contrast, the total amount of $CO_2$ evolved was the highest at 146.1 mmol in loamy sand. The $CO_2$ evolution rate constants (k_{CO2})$ in loamy sand, sand, and combusted loamy sand were 0.057 $d^{-1}$, 0.066 $d^{-1}$, and 0.037 $d^{-1}$, respectively. Therefore, it seems that the degradation of crude oil in soils can be proportional to the soil pore space and that mineralization can be accelerated with the increase of organic substance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 1980

From 143 sources of collected samples, the distribution of nicotinophiles were investigated and the biological characteristics as well as the rate of nicotine degradation were determined for the selected 34 strains which could grow successfully in the nicotine media, and one of the most effective strains was chosen and identified at the species level. Nicotinophils were distributed abundantly in the soils rich with organic materials, tobacco seed and root. The selected 34 strains were classified into 7 genus and identified with 4 strains of Arthrobacter, 11 strains of non-pigmented Pseudomonas, 2 strains of pigmented Pseudomonas, 6 strains of Alkaligenes, 5 strains Chromobacter 2 strains of Listeria and 4 strains of Achromobacter. Pseeudomonas and Alkaligenes were better than other genus in the rate of nicotine degradation and tobacco seed and root were also good sources for the isolation of effective nicotinophiles. Amnog 34 strains, strain NCT 27 which exhibited 97.l% of nicotine degradation rate was the best one for nicotine degradation and was indentified with Pseudomonas putida.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.489-492
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• 2000

The eventual goal of this study is to elucidate roles of plant terpenoids (e.g., cymene, limonene and others) as natural substrates in the cometabolic biodegradation of PCBs and to develop an effective PCB bioremediation technology. The aim of this study was to examine how plant terpenoids, as natural substrates or inducers would affect the biodegradation of PCB congeners. Various PCB degraders that could grow on biphenyl and several terpenoids were tested for their PCB degradation capabilities. The PCB congener degradation activities were first monitored through resting cell assay technique that could detect degradation products of the substrate. The congener removal was also confirmed by concommitant GC analysis. The PCB degraders, Pseudononas sp. P166 and Caynebacterium sp. T104 were found to grow on both biphenyl and terpenoids ((S)-(-) limonene, p-cymene and ${\alpha}-terpinene$) whereas Arthrobacter B1B could not grow on the terpenoids as a sole carbon source. The strain B1B grown on biphenyl showed a good degradation activity for 4,4'-dichlorobiphenyl (DCBp) while strains P166 and T104 gave about 25% of B1B activity. Induction of degradation by cymene, limonene and terpine was hardly detected by the resting cell assay technique. This appeared to be due to relatively lower induction effect of these terpenoids compared with biphenyl. However, a subsequent GC analysis showed that the congener could be removed up to 30% by the resting cells of T104 grown on the terpenoids. This indicates that terpenoids, widely distributed in nature, could be utilized as both growth and/or inducer substrate for PCB biodegradation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.864-871
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• 2013

The recombinant strain P. pastoris GS115-lccC was used to produce laccase with high activity. Factors influencing laccase expression, such as pH, methanol concentration, copper concentration, peptone concentration, shaker rotate speed, and medium volume were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, laccase activity reached 12,344 U/L on day 15. The recombinant enzyme was purified by precipitating and dialyzing to electrophoretic homogeneity, and was estimated to have a molecular mass of about 58 kDa. When guaiacol was the substrate, the laccase showed the highest activity at pH 5.0 and was stable when the pH was 4.5~6.0. The optimal temperature for the laccase to oxidize guaiacol was $60^{\circ}C$, but it was not stable at high temperature. The enzyme could remain stable at $30^{\circ}C$ for 5 days. The recombinant laccase was used to degrade chlorpyrifos in several laccase/mediator systems. Among three synthetic mediators (ABTS, HBT, VA) and three natural mediators (vanillin, 2,6-DMP, and guaiacol), vanillin showed the most enhancement on degradation of chlorpyrifos. Both laccase and vanillin were responsible for the degradation of chlorpyrifos. A higher dosage of vanillin may promote a higher level of degradation of chlorpyrifos, and the 2-step addition of vanillin led to 98% chlorpyrifos degradation. The degradation of chlorpyrifos was faster in the L/V system ($k_{obs}$ = 0.151) than that in the buffer solution ($k_{obs}$ = 0.028).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 1990

In order to determine the major biochemical degradation factors of the two organophosphorus insecticides, diazinon and dursban, the activities of monooxygenase(m. o.) and ${\alpha}$, ${\beta}-esterase$ were studied in submerged soil under laboratory conditions at $30{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ The degradation rate of diazinon by microorganism showed 1.5 times higher than dursban. The m. o. activity increased from 12hrs and 3days after application of diazinon and dursban, respectively. But the ${\beta}-esterase$ activity showed maximum at one day after application of dursban and $5{\sim}8$ days after diazinon application. Also, the ${\beta}-esterase$ activity was about 10 times higher than ${\alpha}-esterase$. Hence, it was concluded that the biological degradation of diazinon was mainly attributed to m. o. activity and the degradation of dursban to ${\beta}-esterase$ activity.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.370-373
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• 2000

In this work, an extractive membrane bioreactor containing coulture broth of Burkholderia cepacia G4 PR1 constitutively expressing the TCE-degrading enzyme, tolune-ortho-monooxygenase(TOM), was used for the degradation of TCE. The membrane bioreactor operates by seperating the TCE-containing waste gas from the aerated biomedium, by which the air-stripping of TCE without degradation was overcome that could occur in conventional aerobic biological treatments of TCE-contaminated waste gases. This was achieved by a silicone rubber membrane which was coiled around a perspex draft tube. TCE from the gas phase diffuses across the silicone rubber membrane into microbial culture broth that was continuously fed from a separate aerobic CSTR. Therefore, TCE degradation occured without the TCE being directly exposed to the aerating gas stream. Of the TCE supplied to the membrane bioreactor, 72.6% was biodegraded during the operation of this system. To construct a mathematical model for this system, parameters describing microbial growth kinetics on TCE were determined using a CSTR bioreactor. Else parameters used for numerical simulation were determined from either indepedent experiments or values reported in the literature. The model was compared with the experimental data, and there was a good agreement between the predicted and the measured TCE concentrations in the system. To achieve a higher treatment efficiency, various operating conditions were simulated as well.